That’s the warning we awoke to today. It’s Minnesota and it’s a Blizzard. This is the stuff snow days are made of. Unfortunately, it’s Saturday so the “no work/no school” benefit is out the window.

Slowing down to a blizzard pace

In my humble opinion it could not have come at a better time. Sometimes it takes a snow day to slow everyone down.

With just two weeks until Christmas, now is the time when people get all jammed up and worked up about all the “should does” in their life. People are running from here to there, spending money on things they likely don’t need, doing things they feel obligated to do and stressing themselves right into a frenzy. And why – because it’s Christmas!

The greatest blessing of a snow day is that it requires us to stay home, spend time with the people we love, relax and let Mother Nature set the pace. The world won’t end if we don’t get to that party, or don’t get to the mall.

For just this reason, we made a decision several years ago to vacation during the holidays. For countless years we would go to one family on Christmas Eve, get home at 1:00 in the morning in the frigid cold only to pack it up again at 7:00am and head off for a 4 hour drive to the next family. And that’s when the MN Winter weather cooperated enough to allow somewhat safe travel. All the time stressing and sinking into this feeling that we were doing what we should do and what everyone else wanted us to do. It was destroying the holiday spirit in me.

So, six years ago we made the decision to do what we WANTED to do at Christmas. And that meant getting out of MN and heading to the warmth and sun of the Caribbean. We typically leave on or around Christmas Day and return home after New Years.

This year we are treating ourselves to two full weeks on the beach in Jamaica. So, next Saturday at this time, the Blizzard will be a distant memory and the only white fluffy stuff we’ll be seeing is the beautiful white sand beaches of Negril beach.

The holidays are no longer a time a stress, guilt or hurry. But rather a time I once again treasure as an opportunity to relax, enjoy friends and loved ones and to reconnect with what’s important in my life. We still make time for family, but we do so when we want to rather than when we should. And it’s a peaceful time. Like a snow day.

So, as a watch the snow pile up against the window I reflect on all that I am grateful for in my life. Beginning with my family, who understands that Christmas is a time of peace and joy. We all must find for ourselves what brings that peace into our lives.

Sometimes we have to make our own snow day, even if the sun is shining.